Chapter 64
Though their stances differed, the thrust from the short sword was straight out of the Holy King Knights' playbook.
For an instant, my surprise distracted me, delaying my evasion just enough for the blade to slice open my arm.
"Nnngh..."
Owwww... The wound is throbbing. I wasn't losing much blood, but I quickly sealed it with 【Recovery Magic】.
I was about to say, 'That's it, I'm angry'—but—
"—Hss."
That was close.
The next attacker was already right in front of me.
I nimbly dodged, but the first attacker from before recovered their stance and launched another thrust.
(Hmm.)
Though I successfully dodged, my posture wavered—and although only the attacker's eyes were visible, the grin was obvious from them alone.
A follow-up was coming—a strike impossible to avoid for someone who had lost their balance.
"—Just kidding."
My fist, launched from my wavering upper body, struck the attacker's temple. That was another vital spot. Once their eyes lost focus, the attacker crumpled where they stood.
"Wha...!?"
The third attacker was flustered. Heh heh, they never expected a counterattack at that moment.
This too was one of my Talents, called 【Brawling】. It was a convenient Talent that kept an attack from losing power, no matter how bad your stance was.
In short, by strengthening your core and increasing your body's flexibility, you could reproduce 【Brawling】. Incidentally, this Talent belonged to a thug who was brawling in a tavern when I went there to retrieve Zelly-san, who had gotten drunk.
"!!"
Perhaps deciding that the odds were against them if they kept fighting me, the attacker turned away and tried to run—only to trip over something and fall. It was a truly magnificent faceplant, and their short sword fell and skidded across the floor.
The halfling guard was standing ahead of them—the vines wrapped around the attacker's feet suggested that the guard had plucked a flower decorating the table, thrown it, and activated 【Flower Magic】.
Arthur-sama came running over and tied up the attacker.
I dispelled the mana for the 【Earth Magic】 Stone Bullet I had been about to launch at the back of the attacker's head.
(I see... We have to use anything available in the venue.)
I looked over the remaining tables. One had already been subdued, while the other two had already fled, apparently deciding that the odds were against them.
"..."
Knights from each household came rushing in with magic lamps. The hall suddenly brightened, but I still couldn't shake the sense that something was wrong.
(Why did they "run away"...? If this was an assassination mission, wouldn't they be prepared to die as they went after their target? And those movements... they were trained by the Holy King Knights... Could this be a betrayal? Certainly, if the attackers were Holy King Knights, that would explain how they managed to sneak into this venue, but...)
I glanced toward the table where my lady was sitting. My 【Fire Magic】 had just gone out, but a large number of knights had already gathered there—including Maxim-san—and were protecting my lady and the others.
Kurvshrat-sama looked clearly relieved, while the Margrave was hugging Mira-sama.
And the Holy King—
(...He's watching me.)
He simply stared at me.
"You're amazing, y'know."
"Huh?"
A voice suddenly came from beside me. When I turned, the halfling guard was standing there.
"I thought you were a genius with magic, but it looks like you're pretty decent at close combat too. Still, leave this sort of rough stuff to the other guards from now on, y'know. Just being able to use magic is support enough."
"Ah—"
So the guard must have thought, 'He's amazing with magic, but no good at close combat,' because I couldn't dodge that attack—no, that's not it!
"Here, medicine for that wound. It's our own special blend, so apply it and it'll heal right away, y'know."
"Th-thank you..."
I was handed a small wooden box containing wound medicine—but that's not the point!
"Um, you—"
They just said 'y'know'! 'Y'know'! Are they from the same hometown as Mimino-san!?
...or so I thought, but by then the halfling guard had already returned to Etan-sama. Oh, right—I'm a guard too, so I need to get back.
But if I got the chance later, I'd ask them. I wonder what Mimino-san and everyone in Silver Balance are doing... I had planned to contact them once things settled down, but you can't easily contact people across national borders, and if they're adventurers, you don't even know where they are.
"My lady, I'm sorry I strayed so far from you."
"No, you did wonderfully!"
My lady, who had been waiting for me, reached out her hand, but I straightened my back and dodged it. No, wait—why did she think this was the right time to pat me on the head? As I kept dodging the hands reaching out at me,
"—Everyone, I apologize for the disturbance!"
The Holy King suddenly shouted in a loud voice.
Looking over, I saw that the Holy King Knights who had arrived late were rousing the attackers.
(Huh? Could this be...)
I had a bad feeling. And bad feelings always came true at times like this.
The Holy King then made a cheerful announcement.
"The attack just now was, in fact, merely entertainment!"
The hall fell completely silent, and the noble sons and daughters stared blankly.
When an attacker got to their feet and pulled off their black robe, they revealed the face of a young man who looked incapable of wrongdoing.
Ah, so that's what this was...
"From now on, as you take your first steps as full-fledged nobles, I arranged this so that you might learn the harshness of noble society! You may well be attacked! At such times, are your guards truly people you can rely on? Or perhaps your guards are unarmed, while the young men here do have weapons. Did you think to use them? In any case, it is precisely in extreme situations like these that people's true nature is revealed! If today's version of yourself was shameful, then strive to become someone you can be proud of tomorrow!!"
Although the Holy King laughed heartily, being attacked and then told it was "entertainment" was no laughing matter for the victims. Many of the noble sons and daughters were left dazed, and many guards looked utterly exhausted.
This wasn't entertainment so much as a rite of passage...?
As if to say, 'An even harsher society awaits you from here on out.'
Thinking about my lady's future, I was seized by a complicated mixture of worry and sympathy.
"—Oh, so it was only entertainment. In that case, Reiji's performance was perfect!"
"No, there were clues that should have tipped me off, yet I went and made a huge spectacle of myself. It's embarrassing."
The attackers left with the Holy King Knights, but many people still eyed them nervously, perhaps because they remained wary. This entertainment had been way too intense.
Magical floodlights were set along the walls of the hall, and when their light reflected off the ceiling, the entire venue brightened.
"There were clues that could have tipped us off...?"
When my lady looked at me in bewilderment,
"Hey, you, House Slyries' guard. What did you notice?"
I found myself being questioned directly by the Holy King.
What should I do? Was it all right for a guard to speak at a time like this? Everyone at the table was looking at me.